Juggling Your Entrepreneurial Spirit and Family Time

If you’re a parent, then most of your time will be taken up by ensuring the needs of your family are met. As such, most other things have to take a backseat. But if you’re a naturally a go-getting type of person, then there’ll come the point when eventually you want more from life. If you’re thinking about starting your own business, then a family doesn’t have to be a barrier – but it does mean that you’ll have to juggle both duties responsibly. Below, we show you how you can do this.

laptop

Get a Diary

Every parent should have a diary. After all, there are so many things to be taken care of! Making sure dinners have been cooked, dropping the kids off at their sports practice; there’s a lot of things to fill the day. And when you’re trying to get a business started, a diary will be even more important. If you schedule your time properly, then there’s no reason why you can’t fit everything into your day. The key to getting everything done is organisation!

Get the Finances Straight

Of course, when it comes to starting a business, there’s always the financial angle to think about. Whatever you do, you shouldn’t be putting your family’s financial health in jeopardy. Take a look at this informative post and consider your options for financing your new venture. You’ll be well-served by keeping your business finances and your family’s finances separate. That way, should something go wrong with your business, then there’ll be no long-term damage to your family’s well being.

Make the Most Of Quiet Moments

You might think that running a family is a full-time business in itself, and to an extent, that is true. But there’s also plenty of ‘quiet moments’ throughout the day, too. Waiting for your kids to finish school, waiting for the dinner to cook, after your children have gone to bed: these are all opportunities for you to work on your business. A lot can be achieved even in just a small amount of time, so make the most of those ten or twenty-minute windows of peace to get some of the easy to accomplish tasks taken care of.

Don’t Do It All On Your Own

You might feel like a superhero when it comes to parenting, but there’s not a parent on the earth who can juggle all of their responsibilities of parenting and starting a business all on their own. As such, consider roping in extra help. Whether that’s finding a partner for your business, or calling in on friends and family members to help out with your parenting duties, you’ll be thankful for having an extra pair of hands to help you out.

Quality Time

family

Finally, remember that family always comes first. If you’re beginning to suspect that your business is taking up too much of your time, leave it behind for the evening. You can always come back to it later, but some family moments you can never get back.

This post as a collaborative effort by St. Louis Dad.

When Does Competition Stop Being Healthy?

Teaching kids about competition is always tricky. In some respects, the school life is geared towards competition. Sports days, for instance, are about beating your opponents. Equally, there’s often a ‘best in class’ award or pop-quizzes which reward those with the most points. So, to ignore this issue altogether would be near enough impossible. On top of which, introducing competition to kids does have plus points.

That said, it can also be unhealthy if you approach the issue in the wrong way. We’ve all seen and shaken our heads at those parents who push their kids to WIN WIN WIN! After all, that amount of pressure on a youngster can’t be a good thing. But, this divide can leave many of us uncertain of how to proceed in this area. To help you get your footing, we’re going to look at some of the healthy, and unhealthy competitive lessons.

Healthy: Fighting spirit

One healthy aspect of competition is that can create a fighting spirit. If a child’s never taught the competitive concept, they won’t have any motivation to fight for the win. And, in many ways, that winning goal is what ensures excellent performance. Why do your best if there’s no one else to prove yourself against? Hence why sports are so fantastic. As well as teaching team spirit, they teach about healthy competition. Baseball is an excellent choice here. It involves putting themselves in the limelight within a team. If you want to teach your kids competition in the right way, it may be worth doing some research to find a wood fungo bat and other practice equipment. Once you’ve stocked up, get into a regular routine to bring the point home.

bowling

Unhealthy: Comparisons

Sometimes when teaching competition, we slide too far into comparisons. In truth, comparison is at the core of competition. But, your child also needs to know that comparing themselves to others at every turn isn’t necessary. During your teachings, let them know that everyone has different skills. Highlight things they’re better at than others. Don’t dwell on the person who wins, or what they can do that your child can’t. This is especially crucial when it comes to siblings. Draw comparisons between them, and it’s sure to lead to quarrelling. Any family home could do without that.

Unhealthy: Losing isn’t an option

Another mistake would be to make your child believe that winning is the only way. This is where pressure comes into it. So, make sure not to pile it on. Let your child know that winning is an option, without making them feel they HAVE to win to please you.

Healthy: It’s the taking part that counts

Instead, make sure your child knows that it’s the taking part that counts. It’s a cliche, but it’s a valuable lesson for them to learn. This shows them that, as long as they show up and do their best, they’re winning in a way. It’ll certainly help to keep their competitive spirit on a positive note.

This post as a collaborative effort by St. Louis Dad.

Rainy Nights In With Your Kids

Lovely weather we’re having, right? Considering we’re still in the throes of winter, there’s going to be a lot of adverse weather on your doorstep. This means it’s not exactly going to be a desirable activity to go outside! There’s a lot of frost on the roads, no leaves in the trees, and the sun is behind the clouds about 80% of the time. No one really wants to have to leave the house when there’s no light to bask in, but responsibilities always take precedence.

So when it comes to the evening time, make sure you’re having a good time indoors. It’s never been a better time to try having fun as a family on the inside than when you don’t have an alternative. You’ve got the house into a much better, family-friendly state, and now it’s time to put your surroundings to good use. So if you’re experiencing a bit of downpour every now and then, here’s some ideas for you to dabble in to keep the boredom away and the crankiness on the downlow.

Alex Splashing

Get the Chores Done

When there’s no alternatives to having to stay in, it’s a lot easier to get the kids interested in cleaning up. Unless you have little superstars under your roof, you’re probably always having to remind your children to take their plates away to the sink when they’re finished and to tidy up their toys when they’ve finished playing. But when the rain is pelting against the windows? This is a good time for a lesson in responsibility!

Or you could channel your inner Mary Poppins. You can even turn it into a game if you’re really struggling to get the cloths dirty and the floor clean. Set up a puzzle when it comes to needing to sweep the kitchen, and have your young ones attempt to get all the dirt into a square you’ve marked out with tape. When there’s a fun challenge to it, kids are more likely to want to do it.

Go On a Treasure Hunt

A treasure hunt is something every kid loves to go on, and even as adults we can get just as competitive about it. So remember that just because you’re not outside doesn’t mean you can’t set up a scavenger hunt! A household treasure hunt is going to be a lot easier to start than anything you could do outside, and thus there’s a lot of freedom in the rules and clues you can leave lying around.

You can easily find clues online if you’re not the greatest bard in the world, and then set up a time limit to really increase the sense of urgency for your kids. Or you could go one better and group up into teams to try and snatch the clues out of the other team’s hands! It can be a great competitive sport, and take up the entire evening.

On the other hand, if you’re trying to get some work done, make the clues a bit harder than you think they should be. You’ll have plenty of quiet time to get on with something then! Your kids won’t mind, and they’ll see the funny side of it when they’re older anyway.

Watch Something Funny

Funny things are always going to be on the top spot when it comes to occupying your mind. When there’s no chance to head outside, there’s a huge chance people are going to be bored inside. And there’s no better way to cure boredom than having some deep belly laughs; we all like to from time to time, and your kids are no different.

The TV is right there for you to use when you need it most, so take it up on its offer. Or you could turn to the internet if there’s nothing but procedural shows gracing the air at that time of night. Turn on some anime if you still have a good satellite or internet connection, and get involved in an entire animated world like you’ve never seen before.

Build a Fort

Forts are something everyone loves to craft at some point, so this is another activity you could combine with watching something funny. And there’s no better place to shelter from the outside world than inside a pillow fort, all snug and cozy. Remember, it’s also a great way to indulge your own inner child and that engineering degree you always had in the back of your mind by taking the couch cushions onto the floor and stacking them up with some blankets.

If the dank and dreary weather is meant to hold out for longer than a day or so, considering adding some lights to your fort and turning it into a real playhouse for you and the kids. There’s so much fun to be had when you’re just rolling around on the floor with some fluffy material on top of you, having a good time altogether!

Try Baking Something

Baking is always a fun activity to indulge in, because you get to eat something at the end of it! Even throughout, you can lick out the bowl and clean off the spoon, and kids are always willing to help with that. So whether you’re a cake genius or a cookie maestro, get baking to keep your kids happy when they’re trapped indoors.

Throw some non traditional ingredients into the bowl, such as some skittles or some chocolate pieces into a bit of cornbread. Just because you wouldn’t usually do it doesn’t mean you can’t make something delicious out of it! Experimenting is what led to great discoveries of cake and cookies in the first place.

Rainy nights in never have to be boring, and we don’t have to be stuck in front of the news for what feels like the rest of eternity. Let your creativity know no bounds and keep imagination at the forefront of what you do. There’s no better way to get kids engaged than to let them lead activities themselves!

This post as a collaborative effort by St. Louis Dad.

Give The Kids A Break: It’s Time To Take Care Of Your Parents

grandpa-alex

As a parent, it’s fair to say that the majority of your time and attention will go on your children. Because since they came along, life hasn’t quite been the same. You’re used to focusing on them and making sure that their needs are taken care of. It’s kind of what family life is all about. However, as you start to get older, it’s hard not to notice that your parents are starting to need a little more time too. And as they spend the majority of their lives focusing on you, it’s only fair that you find the time to do the same. It’s usually a natural progression in life. But if the time has come that your parents are in need of a little more attention, you may not know what to do for the best. So let’s take a look at a few ways you can help to take care of them.

Take On Some Chores For Them

One of the first, and very simple things, that you can do is start to give them a bit more of a hand. As your parents age, you’ll find that they may not be able to do things like their laundry or cleaning or even grocery shopping as easily. So it would be great for you to take over some of their chores for them. But this can often feel like a lot of work. Because you have your own family to look after, and if you have two sets of parents plus in-laws, this can get busy – so the next point may work better for you.

Hire Some Help

If you’re burning the candle at both ends, something has to give. You could help plan a short luxurious stay at a relaxing senior living residence like chelseaseniorliving.com/living-options/short-vip-stays/ as a vacation for your parents and yourself. Maybe you do have time to help them out with one thing, but not everything. When that’s the case, you should look into hiring some help for them. You could get a cleaner to take over their chores, or even bring a carer to helps with meals and bathing. This is often a great way to relieve the burden.

Consider Senior-Friendly Replacements

Sometimes, it may only be little things that you need to do for your parents, like research into specialist equipment for them. Senior-friendly replacements like reading glasses, cell phones, which you can learn more about online, or even stair lifts can be a huge help to them. They will still be able to be independent, but in a modified way.

Include Them More

You may also just want to include them a little more in your everyday life. Seniors can get lonely, especially if they’re on their own. So by involving them in activities, vacations, dinners, and different occasions, you will be doing so much for them.

Ask Them To Live With You

Finally, you may even want to ask your elderly parents to live with you. When they’re struggling on their own, but they don’t want to move to a senior center, living with you could be a great idea. Or, you could look into senior centers too, in case they like the idea of the social side of things.

This post as a collaborative effort by St. Louis Dad.